Neil A. Armstrong
Mission: Apollo-Saturn 11, July 16–24, 1969

Public Domain

ExpandFavorite

Artist Neil A. Armstrong (American, 1930–2012)American, 1930–2012

Printer Dennis Ivy (American, born 1953)American, born 1953

CultureAmerican

Titles

Mission: Apollo-Saturn 11, July 16–24, 1969
This mission achieved the first landing on the Moon. The picture depicts Neil Armstrong’s boot and the print left after the first step on the lunar surface. The crew members were Neil A. Armstrong, Edwin E. “Buzz” Aldrin, Jr., and Michael Collins.
from the portfolio NASA: A Quarter Century of Space Exploration

DateJuly 16–24, 1969, printed 1991

Place depictedMoon

MediumDye imbibition print

DimensionsImage: 16 × 16 5/16 in. (40.7 × 41.4 cm)
Sheet: 18 7/8 × 18 1/8 in. (48 × 46 cm)
Mat: 26 × 21 15/16 in. (66 × 55.8 cm)

Credit LineThe Target Collection of American Photography, museum purchase funded by Target Stores

Object number93.199.9

Not on view

Explore Further

Department

Photography

Special Collections

Target Collection of American Photography

Object Type

PHOTOGRAPHS

DescriptionEight
years after President John F. Kennedy’s challenge to send U.S. astronauts to the
moon, the crew of Apollo 11 climbed down the ladder of the Eagle, the lunar
module, to the moon’s surface. Both Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin E. “Buzz”
Aldrin, Jr., discovered that being on the moon and moving in one-sixth gravity was
an exhilarating experience. Aldrin described himself as “buoyant and full of
goose pimples.” Because the moon’s surface is fine and powdery, both Aldrin and
Armstrong were able to leave clear footprints, which Armstrong recorded in
several photographs.
Provenance[Robert Mann Gallery, New York]; purchased by MFAH, 1993.
Exhibition History"Quest for the Moon and Other Stories: Four Decades of Astronauts in Space," Shell and the American Landscape Museum, Houston, March 6–May 29, 2001.

The Moon: 'Houston, Tranquility Base Here. The Eagle Has Landed'," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, September 27, 2009–January 10, 2010.

"Shooting the Moon: Photographs from the Museum's Collection 50 Years after Apollo 11," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, July 20–September 2, 2019.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks

Inscription: Inscribed in black ink, lower left corner below image: "29/1000", lower right corner below image: "# 9"

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.